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SDCC ’13 | Archaia to publish Alyssa Milano’s ‘Hacktivist’

It may now be part of BOOM! Studios, but Archaia doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

Late last night the imprint announced it will publish Hacktivist, a hardcover original graphic novel exploring “the modern world of hacking and activism.” The book began as an idea by actress Alyssa Milano after she learned about that world through her philanthropic endeavors and her friendship with Twitter creator Jack Dorsey.

“I’m very involved with in global activism and philanthropy,” Milano said in a statement. “I like the idea of everyday people doing good. I picture [Dorsey] leaving the office at night and going home, where he locks himself in his room and starts hacking to change the world.”

In this fictional story, the two founders of an upstart social-media service are discovered by the U.S. government to be one of the foremost “black-hat hacker teams” in the world, setting them on a path to question what’s right and decide what’s best for themselves and the world.

To help flesh out the concept, the Mistresses star tapped writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly to bring her story of “revolution and cyber-warfare” to life in comics. Marcus To is on board to illustrate.

“Hacktivist is literally ripped from headlines,” said Stephen Christy, Archaia’s vice president of development. “It’s a story focusing on the benefit and consequences of our increasingly connected world. To be able to bring Alyssa Milano into the world of comics is very exciting for all of us at Archaia, and by teaming her with Marcus To and Ian Herring fresh off of their brilliant work on Cyborg 009, we’ve built a comic that will hopefully connect with and inspire people all over the world.”

Archaia plans to debut Hacktivist this fall with a digital release, with the print edition coming sometime in summer 2014. The publisher will have a free limited-edition ashcan at its Comic-Con International booth (#2229) containing a preview, concept art and an interview with Milano.